Reinforced concrete floor construction



Sept. 5, 1944. w, J. KUPL-:c ErAL REINFORCED CONCRETE FLOOR CONSTRUCTION 5 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Nov. 22, 1941 INVENTORS, ./T/fzpec, er PV.' Rawlins,

l V Y ATT R/VEY Q 2* William .A Z b BY n :Umb v n., Q

w. J. KUPEC ETAL REINFORCED CONCRETE FLOOR CONSTRUCTION Sept. 5, 1.944.

Filed Nov; 22, 1941` s sheets-sheet 2 JNVENToRs, William J' Kupec, lerf WRaZ-Zizs, B

Patented Sept. 5, 1944 UNITED STATES4 PATENT OFFICE REINFORCED CONCRETE' FLOOR CONSTRUCTION William J. Kupee and Albert W. Rawlins,

New York, N. Y. v

Application November 22, 1941, Serial No. 420,048

2 Claims.

This invention relates to a reinforced concrete floor Yconstruction which may be built rapidly, economically, and without utilization of the vast, costly and objectionable supporting formwork normally resorted to; and resulting in a floor of superior strength, reduced bulk, and improved merits.

Other objects and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1 is a perspective View of the reinforced Vconcrete floor constituting the invention, the same being shown fragmentary, partially in transverse cross-section, various parts thereof broken away, and as it appears `during construction, for clearness of illustration.

Figs. 2, 3, and 4 are transverse-sectional views showing diierent constructions of floors, With the utilization of the principles of the invention.

Figs. 5 and 6 are perspective views showing details of the invention. I

Fig. 7 is a general fragmentary perspective view showing a modification of a reinforced concrete oor of the invention, the type of illustration being'similar to that shown in Fig. 1.

Fig, 8 and Fig. 9 are respectively a plan view and a front elevation of a filler block, forming partA of the modification of the invention shown in Fig. 7.

Fig. 10 is a general fragmentary perspective view, similar in character to that of Fig. 1, showing other details of the invention.

Fig. 11 illustrates another detail of the invention.

In the construction of the licor I, Fig. l, there is utilized a series of trusses 2 comprising top chords 3, bottom chords 4, strut-rods 5, and near to each end of each truss there is provided a plurality of vertical posts 6, which serve to thereat increase the shearing strength of the truss, as will be hereinafter seen. To the underside of the bottom chords 4 of each of the trusses 2 is secured a plurality of spacing bars 1, Figs. 1, 5, preferably by means of welds 8. Said trusses are securedly connected to each other laterally by means of a series of horizontal rails 9, Figs. 1 and 6, each 'of which is provided with a plurality of predeterminately spaced holes I0, through which pass bolts II that serve to secure the rails 9 to the upper sides of the top chords 3 of the struts 2.

In constructing the floor I, the trusses 2 are first properly positioned upon their supports, and are appropriately spaced laterally by aligning their top chords 3 with the holes in the rails 9, whereupon said rails and trusses are secured to each other by the bolts I I and nuts I2. There is then secured to each truss 2 a somt-board I3 by means of placing it against the bottom edges 'Ia of its spacing bars 1 and passing bolts I4 through said boards and between the bottom chords 4 of the truss, and then tightening said bolts with nuts I5, to thereby e'ect a rigid engagement of the board with said spacing bars, in the manner illustrated in Fig.`\5. Filler-blocks I6 are then placed in supported position upon the marginal shoulders I3a of soft-boards I3, with their sides Ilia bearing against and guided laterally by the terminal edges V'Ib of the spacing bars l. VConcrete I'I is then poured over` the aforesaid structure, to ll the spaces between the sides Ilia of filler-blocks I6 and over the sofft-boards I3, to encase the trusses 2, and to rise over and above the filler-blocks I6 to a plane level with the topmost edges 9a of the rails 9, thereby forming slabs I8 the concrete of which upon drying becomes an integral part of beams I9 taking the place of the aforesaid spaces and completely encasing their reinforcing trusses 2. Upon completion of the pouring of the concrete, the topmost edges 9avof rails 9 are utilizedfor screeding the top level'of the concrete floor. When the setting of the concrete I'I is completed, the somt-boards I3 arereadily removed by merely unscrewing the bolts I4, leaving a nished floor I consisting of the slabs I 8 integral With the reinforced beams I9, and bonded with the filler-blocks I6, the undersurfacesof which and those of the beams constitute the flush ceiling.

The trusses 2 are'built of sufcient strength to carry the liquid concrete, the filler-blocks I6, somt-,boards I3, and the impact loads of the concrete buggies or wheelbarrows used in placing the liquid concrete, and together with the utilization of the above described method of constructing the floor I any temporary supporting formwork for the floor may be wholly or almost wholly dispensed With. It will be noted that'shearing stresses upon the trusses 2 are actually greater during said work with the concrete and before setting thereof thany they are when sustaining the floor loads which are thereafter carried by the finished floor-slab, and these intermediate `additional shearing stresses are overcome by the verticalposts 6 forming part of the end portions of the trusses. It will be further seen that the trusses 2 are additionally strengthened against lateral deviation or buckling, by the transverse i rails 9 to which they are secured, which besides trusses, for indicating precisely the level to which the concrete slab is to be poured, and finally for screeding the finished concrete floor surface with aid of their topmost edges 9a. It will be evident that during the construction and prior to the setting of the concrete, the welded spacing bars 'I together with the tightened bolts I4 provide a rm and accurate securing and horizontal alignment of the somt-boards I3, relatively to the trusses 2, and these spacing bars 1 positively prevent any turning deviation or dislocation of the boards I3 laterallyabout the trusses from the correct horizontal and level positions of the somt-boards, thereby resulting in accurately cast floor beams I9.

Each of the filler-blocks I6, Figs. 1, 8 and 9, is

made hollow and light, as shown, and provided with one closed wall ISb and grooves I6c in its side-walls I6a to serve the purpose of convenient hand-holds and to produce a more effective bond between the block and the concrete of the beams I9. The blocks I6 are prefabricated of concrete, using as an aggregate a light weight material, as cinders, and they are produced to possess the same strength as the beams I9 and slabs I8 of the floor system. When therefore the latter with said blocks bond together firmly, they constitute a strong unitary iloor body of superlative merits and economy, since much of it is thus prefabricated and the method permits reduction of weight and material requisite for said beams and floor slabs.

Due to the identical degrees of strength of the blocks I6 and the set concrete of the beams I9, taken together with their firm bond, aided by grooves IBC, the usual top floor slab I8 may be entirely dispensed with, as illustrated in Figs. 4 and 7, wherein the concrete of beams I9 follow and bond with the upper chamfered corners I6d of the blocks and extends to the level of the top surfaces IGe of the blocks. The latter therefore serve for screeding the top surface I9a of this concrete, and together with it constitute the top surface of the floor. In this modification, the trusses 2 are shown imbedded entirely below the top surfaces I9a, Ilia of the iioor, and for the same reason the transverse connecting rails 9 are secured to the undersides of the top cords 3 of the trusses. These rails are located in spaces 20 formed by separation of pairs of blocks I6, the bottoms of which spaces are closed by blocks 2l for supporting the concrete prior to the setting thereof.

In the construction of a floor of the modification of Figs. 4 and '7, it is rendered possible to instal and efficiently secure the wooden sleepers for the wooden ooring, as illustrated in Fig. 10, because it is possible to walk over and work upon the top surfaces Ie of the filler blocks immediately after the pouring of the concrete. For this purpose, therefore, the sleepers 22 are provided with down-hanging projections, such as bolts 23, which may extend into the spaces to be occupied by the beams I9, and soon after the pouring of the concrete may be appropriately positioned as shown, so that the bolts 23 become cast within the concrete and thereby readily and efficiently secure the sleepers in place, ready to receive the required wooden flooring 24.

When the blocks I6 are laid end to' end, Figs.

1 and 11, upon the shoulders of the soffit-boards I3, the last block I6f of the series is so positioned that its rear wall IBb bears against the wall 25 of the building, in which manner any leakage of the concrete slab I8 While in uid state is prevented into the hollow chamber I6g of block IE. It will be noted that in both floors, Figs. 1 and 7, the rear walls IBb of all the blocks I6 constitute a system of ribs extending transversely of struts 2, as close integrated concrete webs, thereby adding much strength to and greatly stiffening up the entire floor, being of particular value to resist wind or earth disturbances,

Fig. 2 shows a regular transverse-sectional View of the reinforced concrete floor of Fig. 1, to complete the illustration adequately, and Fig. 3 is a similar type View illustrating the principles of the method of the invention in connection with utilizing filler blocks 26 made of sheet steel forms 21, with or without steel ceiling lath 28 attached thereto.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

1. In a reinforced concrete floor construction, a series of parallel trusses, each of which includes a pair of top chords and a pair of bottom chords, a plurality of horizontal spacing barsl welded to and across the undersides of the bottom chords of each of said trusses and projecting laterally beyond each side thereof, a sofIit-board disposed beneath each truss and against its spacing bars with side-portions of said somt-board projecting beyond the ends of said bars, bolts extending through said somt-boards and between the lower chords of said trusses and removably securing said soflit-boards in rigid engagement with said spacing bars, filler-blocks arranged between each pair of trusses with the bottom end portions of said filler-blocks resting upon the side-portions of said soffit-boards and with the ends of said filler-blocks spaced apart from said trusses by the spacing bars, and concrete in the spaces between said fllerblocks and around said trusses and above said somt-boards.

2. In a reinforced concrete floor construction, a series of parallel trusses each of which includes a pair of top chords and a pair of bottom chords, rails resting on and extending across and bolted to the top chords of said trusses, a plurality of horizontal spacing bars Welded to and across the undersides of the bottom chords of each of said trusses and projecting laterally beyond each side thereof, soit-boards disposed beneath each truss and against its spacing bars with side-portions of said somt-boards projecting beyond the ends of said bars, bolts extending through said soit- 4 boards and between the lower chords of said trusses and removably securing said sofIit-boards in rigid engagement with said spacing bars, fillerblocks arranged between each pair of trusses with the bottom end portions of said filler-blocks resting upon the side portions of said soflit-boards and with the ends of said filler-blocks spaced apart from said trusses by the saidv spacing bars, and concrete covering said filler-blocks and filling the spaces between them and around said trusses and above said somt-boards, the top surface of said concrete being screeded level with the tops of said rails.

WILLIAM J. KUPEC. ALBERT W. RAWLINS. 

